Using the feltboard or even felt pieces on the floor is great with the little ones because they can't rip them like they can paper stuff.

I would start with nursery rhymes or rhymes like five little monkeys. There are a ton of "Five little..." type poems out there and those are quick to make up and do. Do a google image search for coloured pictures to print and use to save time. The rhymes are short and quick to do over and over.

To start making a themed circle time join together things that go together and continue as long as interest reigns - such as sing baa baa black sheep, Mary had a little lamb, then do a made up thing like hold up a sheep hand puppet and say Mother sheep looked at all her lambs and the lambs said "baa" (kids respond baa). Chants work well as they are even shorter than rhymes. Read a story about a sheep if they are interested in books.

Finsh with an outline of a sheep on a large piece of coloured paper - give them small pieces of white cloth, batting, even pieces of paper towel ripped up to lay over the outline to make a white sheep. For a craft show them smaller versions of the sheep outline and send them to the table with their papers. Provide glue for them to spread on the picture and batting, cotton balls, pieces of paper to glue on. For the little ones - spread the glue for them as a way of showing the big kids what you need them to do. The little one just gets to put on the white pieces. When we are done we take our creations to the front door and clip them to the back of the door - gotta love a metal front door ready for hometime. We can see all day but not touch which is great since area is gated off.

A good way to end a circle like this is to bring out the sheep from the farm and show them to the children and remind them they live on a farm and then all go to the playroom and put the sheep with the farm - chances are at least one child in the next playtime will play with the farm/sheep.

This was today's theme.